Higher Ground: Scarlet Truth
by Meg the fierce lady
Summary: The tragic events that leads Kat in a downward spiral, and her deliverance. Chapter five updated!
1. Default Chapter

Higher Ground, Scarlet truth: Teaser  
  
This is a teaser, if you like it, I will write the story. The song belongs to Red Hot Chili Peppers, "Otherside" from the album Californication. It is used without permission, so please don't sue. I'm not making any money off this. Enjoy.  
  
  
~How long, how long will I slide~  
~Separate my side~  
~I don't, don't believe it's bad~  
~Slit my throat~  
~It's all I ever~  
  
  
*Living the wild life can be dangerous to your health.*  
  
  
The sirens blared behind her as she sped on the stolen motorcycle. She turned into an alley, skidded into the wall and cried out as she flew off the bike. She landed in a dumpster.  
  
"Oh, yuck!" But she had little time to react as a police officer grabbed her out of the dumpster and slammed her against the wall. They slapped handcuffs on her.  
  
"You have the right to remain silent..."  
  
  
~I heard your voice through a photograph~  
~I thought it up it brought up the past~  
~Once you know you can never go back~  
~I've got to take it on the otherside~  
  
  
*A troubled teen. But out of chaos, comes hope. A Higher Ground.*  
  
  
"You're taking me to Horizon?" She asked, in disbelief.  
  
"It's for the best." Her mother said.  
  
"Like hell it is!" She screamed. "Just because you don't want me to screw up your perfect life, doesn't mean that you can screw up mine!"  
  
  
~Centuries are what it meant to me~  
~A cemetery where I marry the sea~  
~Stranger things could never change my mind~  
~I've got to take it on the otherside~  
~Take it on the otherside~  
~Take it on~  
~Take it on~  
  
  
*A new place, new change. The new kid.*  
  
  
"You can take your rules and shove it up your fucking ass."  
  
  
"I heard you were swearing at Sophie."  
  
"So what if I was?" She said nonchalently, slumped in the chair. "It's not like I'm planning on doing anything about it."  
  
"There will be punishment for breaking the rules." Peter sighed.  
  
"Does this look like the face of someone who cares?"  
  
"I think you care plenty."  
  
  
~How long, how long will I slide~  
~Separate my side~  
~I don't, don't believe it's bad~  
~Slit my throat~  
~It's all I ever~  
  
  
*The talent comes out.*  
  
  
She sat strumming the black electric guitar. She started to hum softly with the music she played.  
  
"You play?" David asked.  
  
Startled, she abruptly stopped. She blushed and looked away.  
  
"Yeah. Wanna hear a song?"  
  
"Sure." He smiled.  
  
  
~Pour my life into a paper cup~  
~The ashtray's full and I'm spillin' my guts~  
~She wants to know am I still a slut~  
~I've got to take it on the otherside~  
  
  
*But sometimes, things can still go wrong.*  
  
  
"What!?" She whispered in the phone. "No. Come and get me, I'll meet you in the town, around 2 a.m. That should give me enough time to get out of here, if I leave at midnight." She hung up the phone and leaned against the wall.  
  
"God, please, don't let her die."  
  
  
~Scarlet starlet and she's in my bed~  
~A candidate for my soul mate bled~  
~Push the trigger and pull the thread~  
~I've got to take it on the otherside~  
~Take it on the otherside~  
~Take it on~  
~Take it on~  
  
  
*And when it seems like nothing can get any worse...*  
  
  
"It's real bad." Jose numbly spoke.  
  
"God, look at all those..." Tears brimmed her eyes. "I should've been there for her... I should've!"  
  
"You can't blame yourself." Rico said.  
  
"No." She said, anger hissing through her lips. "I blame the man who did this to her."  
  
  
~How long, how long will I slide~  
~Separate my side~  
~I don't, don't believe it's bad~  
~Slit my throat~  
~It's all I ever~  
  
  
*It always does...*  
  
  
"No!" She sobbed. She turned and ran out the door. She kept running til she noticed that she was a long way from home, and it was getting dark. A faded neon light caught her eye. A dark doorway, and dark music flowed from the building.  
  
She took a deep breath and stepped through.  
  
  
~Turn me on take me for a hard ride~  
~Burn me out leave me on the otherside~  
~I yell and tell it that~  
~It's not my friend~  
~I tear it down I tear it down~  
~And then it's born again~  
  
  
*It can seem like nothing will save you in your darkest hour.*  
  
  
She stood, in the bathroom, staring at her swollen red eyes from crying too much. Her breath came out in short, ragged gasps.  
  
"I hate you." She said to her reflection.  
  
  
~How long, how long will I slide~  
~Separate my side~  
~I don't, don't believe it's bad~  
~Slit my throat~  
~It's all I ever~  
  
  
*Spiralling out of control, falling deeper into the pit of dispair.*  
  
  
She sat at the bar, ordering drink after drink. Maybe she would die from drinking too much. Her life wasn't worth living anymore.  
  
"Hey." She heard a voice. She turned and saw a familiar face.  
  
"You!" She said, nearly shouting. "I don't want to see you."  
  
  
~How long, just don't believe it's bad~  
~Slit my throat~  
~It's all I ever~  
  
  
*Hanging on for dear life. Praying for salvation.*  
  
  
"Why?" She sobbed. "I just don't wanna hold on anymore. I just wanna be free." 


	2. Chapter One

The purple haired seventeen year old girl sat, moodily, smoking a ciggarette and drinking a small glass of Jack Daniels.   
She looked at the bottle that was sitting on the table next to her. The beautiful, intricate, black designs on the lable danced into her vision. She took small notice to the alcohol content of the bottle which was marked 40%.  
Taking a rather large gulp of the drink, drowning down her sorrows, she stood up. Amused that her legs felt weak. Swaying she made her way to the sink and threw her ciggarette into a puddle of water. Smirking as the light in the ciggarette turned to wet ash with a tiny "shh". Turning she stumbled out of the room, holding a half full Jack Daniels.  
Setting the bottle on a coffee table, littered with candy wrappers, a few beer bottles and an overflowing ashtray, which were reminiscent of the teenager's rebelliousness. She grabbed a knee length leather coat, a gift given to her from her friends, and shrugged it on. Checking the pockets for her keys and wallet. Satisfied, she grabbed the bottle of whiskey and headed for the door.  
Stepping out into the cool summer night air, she closed the door with a slight thud and locked it. Breathing in the sweet smell of jasmin, she looked up at the sky. The stars were just coming out, twinkling brightly. The inky blackness beyond made her gasp with almost childlike wonder. The full moon was a true red moon. Not that she was superstitious or anything, but a red moon meant someone was going to die.  
Her ears flicked as she heard a rumble of a car break the silence.  
She stepped down, off the verendah and crossed the aqua green lawn. The drunk feeling was passing, with regret.  
The beat up black chevy sputtered and backfired to a stop at the curb. She stood outside the passenger door. The door opened and a hispanic eighteen year old man, stood up, clad entirely in black.  
"Yo, chica, that for me?" he asked, looking meaningfully at her right hand.  
"Yeah, Jose." She smirked as she raised the bottle. "It's all for you." Jose took it, and turned around, pushing the seat forward. She bent over and got into the backseat of the car. Plopping down on the seat, she saw one of her friends, LeeAnn.  
"Hey, Lee." The brunette smiled at her, but said nothing. The car rumbled and lurched away.  
"You give any thought to dyeing those skunk stripes?"  
LeeAnn nodded.  
"You wanna do it?"  
She nodded again.  
"Cool. White would look awesome against that brown hair."  
LeeAnn nodded for the third time, smiling shyly.  
"It's like listening to only one side of the conversation, man." The driver said to Jose.  
"Hey, Rico. Stop by the pharmacy store."  
"Sure, Kat." Rico looked at Jose, grinning slightly as they pulled to a stop at a nearby pharmacy. "I'm a little hungry. Think I'm gonna get some food."  
"Oh no." Kat said, rolling her eyes. LeeAnn smiled.  
"LeeAnn, do your thing, eh?" Rico said. LeeAnn suddenly paled.  
"Stupid Canuck." Kat muttered. "It's ok, Lee, I'll do my thing, if anything goes wrong. K? Besides, we've got Beavis and Butthead here."  
"Hey!" Rico and Jose said, simultaneously.  
LeeAnn, still scared, nodded and stepped out of the car. The four walked into the pharmacy like they owned it. Kat grabbed LeeAnn and headed for the hair dye section, which was at the back.  
Kat crouched and grabbed a chic, white hair dye and placed it into her baggy pocket. Looking at LeeAnn she mouthed "five minutes." LeeAnn nodded, as Kat walked toward Rico and Jose stuffing a couple of burritos in the microwave. Jose grabbed two pops and tossed one to Rico. Rico in turn shoved two bags of potato chips into his pocket and turned to leave.  
Suddenly a loud scream erupted from the back aisle, and the clerk ran out toward the noise. Kat grabbed two burittos and pocketed them. Grabbing two diet cokes, she ran for the exit. She saw Jose lean over the counter and grab a pack of ciggarettes, then left. She sailed through the door and narrowly missed a couple of passerbys. She dumped the pops, the burritos, and the hair dye in the back seat, and casually walked back into the store.  
"Are you ok, ma'am?" The clerk asked.  
"Yes, I'll try to get a handle on my claustrophobia. Thank you, sir." LeeAnn walked, shaking like a leaf. Kat grabbed her arm and guided her to the exit. They quickly jumped into the car and Rico gunned the engine, as they roared away.  
Kat hollered and whooped, as they made their getaway after comitting petty crime.  
"Think he'll notice that we scammed him?" Rico chuckled, grinning widely.  
"No doubt, meat." Jose laughed. "Ciggarette?" Jose offered the three. Kat took one and to her complete surprise, LeeAnn took one too.  
"When did you start smoking?" She asked her with a wry smile on her face.  
LeeAnn just smiled as she leaned in to light the ciggarette. Puffing expertly, she donned the guise of mystery in a heartbeat.  
Kat inhaled the smoke of her ciggarette and snorted it out through her nose.   
"You never cease to amaze me, Lee." She smiled, broadly. "Oh, here." Kat grabbed the burritos and gave her one. LeeAnn made a face.  
"At least it's not frozen, like last time!" Kat laughed.  
"Maybe Sadie can warm them up, when we get to the bar." LeeAnn said smiling. She popped the tab on her diet coke and took a sip.  
They finished their pop when the place in mention came into view. Sunny Sadies' Bar. A small local bar that was great for some dancing, and for only five exclusive people, they could drink underage.  
  
Leaning back on the barstool, Kat swallowed the last of her beer. Motioning to LeeAnn, they stood up, and went into the washroom. Kat held up the box of white dye, and smiled devilishly.  
Fifteen minutes later, LeeAnn was sitting on the sink counter, swinging her legs. Kat was leaning against the wall, smoking a cigarette, when the door opened and in walked Sadie.  
"You know it's against the law to smoke a fag in the loo?" Sadie asked Kat.  
Kat merely shrugged her shoulders. Sadie rolled her eyes.  
"I got a hair dryer. Thought you might need it."  
"Thanks." Kat said, extinguishing the zippo in the sink. "Ok, LeeAnn, you got to wash it out, with shampoo and the conditioner that came with box."  
"Don't ask me for shampoo, I ain't got any on me." Sadie tossed her hands up. "I ain't a bloody hair salon, I own a bar!"  
"We'll just use the soap." Kat smirked at LeeAnn. "What's got your panties in a twist?"  
"It's Leon!" Sadie kicked the garbage bag. "I love him, but he skips school, does drugs and there's no way I can reach him."  
"Put him in a nut house." Kat said, but seeing the look on the older woman's face prompted her to change her remark. "Sorry, I take it back. I've got nothing against your son. How about I go over to your house and slap some sense into him?"  
"Thanks, but I'll figure something out." Sadie turned to walk out. "And don't take to long in here! I've got customers who need to use the bathroom, and they prefer not to smell hair dye when they take a dump."  
"Yes, ma'am!" Kat saluted mockingly.  
And yet another fifteen minutes later, LeeAnn and Kat strode out of the washroom, grinning broadly and laughing. Ok, Kat was, but poor LeeAnn was shaking like a leaf, and feeling like everyone was staring at her. She sat timidly at the bar.  
"It looks great, LeeAnn!" Rico smiled.  
"Oh no, here comes a drunk idiot." Kat muttered under her breath to LeeAnn.  
"Maybe he's coming for you?" LeeAnn, looked frightened at the man who was making his way to LeeAnn.  
"Thanks for the flattery." Kat snickered. "Want me to get rid of him?"  
"Only if he's really not nice."  
Kat raised an eyebrow. "You thinking of-"  
"No! I mean--" LeeAnn blushed heavily.  
"Ok, say milk if you want me to get rid of him. Say beer if you don't, got it?  
"How am I going--" LeeAnn started, but was interrupted by the young man who showed up.  
"Now what's a girl like you doing in a place like this?"  
Girl? Kat mouthed to LeeAnn, over the man's shoulder.  
LeeAnn blushed, and giggled like a school girl. Heck, she was a school girl.  
Kat rolled her eyes. LeeAnn was sooo new to this gig. You never talk to a drunk guy, unless you're interested in sex, which, Kat mused, wasn't what LeeAnn was interested in. Especially when the drunk guy says a dumb pick up line like that.  
"I like your hair, looks like that girl, whats her name in that movie."  
"X-men?" LeeAnn offered.  
"Nah, it was some other movie, something like Finding Forrester or somethin'."  
Kat suppressed a giggle. This guy was an idiot. Dump him fast LeeAnn!  
"Can I buy you a drink?"  
"Sure, milk."  
"MILK? You sure, honey?"  
"Hey!" Kat said, edging in between the man. "Keep your hands off my property."  
"What? You a dyke or something?"  
"No, she's my sister! I'm babysitting her!" Kat stared hard at the man. Luckily for him, he backed off. Muttering under his breath.  
"Dykes, oughta be a law against them..."  
Kat laughed at the look on LeeAnn's face.  
"Ok, maybe going for the dyke approach wasn't a good idea." Kat said, laughing hard.  
"I think I wanna go home."  
"Sorry, LeeAnn. I'll get Rico to drive us home. I think I wanna turn in the sack too."  
"No, it's ok, we can stay here." LeeAnn sat up straighter, "The night is still young."  
Kat laughed, "Ok! I guess all the drinks loosened you up!"  
"No, way!" LeeAnn giggled.  
"Yo, Kat!"  
"What is it, Jose?"  
"Look at that cool bike! This guy just rode up on a smooth hog!" Rico grinned.  
"Oh, what I would give to ride a bike like that!" Kat exclaimed.  
"I dare you to hop on it and take it for a spin around the block!" Rico said.  
Kat smiled and grabbed her leather coat. She ran across the street to the bike.  
"Damn! That girl is nuts!" Rico swore.  
"Meat, you're the one who dared her!"  
"She takes dares seriously, or at least always does them." LeeAnn pushed through the crowd, standing between Rico and Jose. "Once in the seventh grade, a girl at school dared her to go into the boys washroom."  
"Shit, I remember that. She caught me taking a piss!" Rico blushed at the memory.  
LeeAnn laughed. Then looked worried. "Be careful, Kat!"  
"It's all good!" Kat called back. She grabbed the helmet and hopped on the bike. The motorcycle purred like a kitten, then roared as Kat kicked down on it. The wheels squealed as she sped away.  
"Hey!" A big, burly, tattooed man ran out in the street. "You fucking bitch! Give me back my hog!"  
Kat laughed, giddy as she felt the power between her legs. She sped down the street, going 85 miles per hour and increasing. The cool wind rushed over her, flapping her leather jacket back, as she sped up to race through a yellow light.  
The loud hum, roared in her ears as she sped around a corner. Suddenly, she heard a loud siren.  
"Shit!" Kat pushed the motorcycle faster, determined to outrun the police. She couldn't get caught! Silently, Kat urged the vehicle on, peeking back every once in a while to see the lights of the cruiser chasing her.  
The sirens blared behind her as she sped on the stolen motorcycle. She turned into an alley, skidded into the wall and cried out as she flew off the bike. She landed in a dumpster.  
"Oh, yuck!" But she had little time to react as a police officer grabbed her out of the dumpster and slammed her against the wall. They slapped handcuffs on her.  
"You have the right to remain silent..." One of them said, as he continued to read her rights, "Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney, and if you can not afford an attorney, one will be presented to you at the time of trial..."  
  
  
  
  
Please read and review! ^_^ 


	3. Realizations

Disclaimer: Don't own Horizon, don't sue. Kat owns me. All bow to the Kat.  
  
Two days later, Kataya stood in the doorway of her mother's home. Her mother despised her smoking habit, and demanded that she smoke outside. At least, in her presence, Kat thought, smirking.  
  
"You can't just stand there and act like nothing's gone wrong! You were arrested, for heaven's sake!" Her mother ranted on, "you're lucky that nice man didn't press charges, you're extremely lucky that the bike wasn't damaged! You better thank Greg for paying your bail and your fines! And put that cigarette out, I don't want smoke in here. I've guests coming over."  
  
Kat inhaled the cigarette smoke, and muttered out, "you don't care about me," and sighed loudly. "Mother, the guests aren't coming until tomorrow. Besides, you don't have jurisdiction over me, I'm not in the house."  
  
"I don't care. Put that out, now." When her mother got that tone of voice, anyone in hearing range trembled without knowing why. Kat wasn't moved; she had lived with her mother for sixteen years and had a hide thicker than a bear. She watched as her mother grabbed a large, black duffel bag from the couch, and dropped it by the door.  
  
"Put it out!"  
  
"Well, I'm done anyway," Kat said, as she flicked it away. Then she asked, "what's in the bag?" as she stepped into the house and closed the door.  
  
"Your clothes," her mother replied.  
  
Kat was beweildered, "you're kicking me out? Cool."  
  
"Oh, come on, life here ain't that bad!" Her mother scoffed, tossing back her dirty blond hair. For a moment, it was like her mother had come back, from before her father died, before she remarried. It made a poignant pang in her heart, and Kat smiled, which was rare.  
  
Her mother walked into the kitchen and came out into the hallway with a pamphlet in her hand. She extended her arm, and handed it to her daughter. Kat took it and glanced at it.  
  
Realization dawned on Kat's face, following puzzlement and surprise. Then anger set in.  
  
"You're taking me to Horizon?" She asked in disbelief.  
  
"It's for the best," her mother said.  
  
"Like hell it is!" She screamed, "just because you don't want me to screw up your perfect life doesn't mean that you can screw up mine!"  
  
"Your life is perfect?" her mother asked, incredulous. "You call underage drinking, theft and heaven knows what else you've been doing, perfect?"  
  
"You call betraying dad's memory by marrying some rich bastard before he's even cold in the ground perfect?!" Kat shot back.  
  
"It's not like that, I love him!" Her mother protested.  
  
"Oh God!" Kat clamped her hands over her ears, "you make me sick!" She ran up the stairs to her room and locked the door. She ransacked her room, looking for her stash. The posters on the wall covered up every inch of the plain white paint, depicting bands like NOFX, Nirvana, and KoRn. She grabbed her marijuana and lit up. Korn's Got the Life blared out from her headphones around her neck, as she put her cd player in her sweater pocket.  
  
The determined knock on the door alerted her to her mother's steely resolve. Her mother was a stubborn woman; Kat got her own stubborness from her.  
  
"I'm getting my good clothes. You didn't pack the stuff I like," she claimed as she pulled opened her drawers. If she was right, then all her mother packed were her preppy "show" clothes for when guests came over. She spotted her favourite black sweater with Korn in small white print across the front, and her black ripped jeans. She was right.  
  
"Let me in, Kataya Eloise Doyle."  
  
Kat hadn't wanted to lose her father's name when her mother remarried, and refused Greg's offer of adoption. As a result, she and her biological mother had different last names. And whenever her mother said her full name, it meant that she was seriously ticked.  
  
Kat grabbed all of her favourite clothes, and dumped them in a duffel bag she kept in the walk in closet. Grabbing extra batteries for her cd player, she put them in her jeans pocket.  
  
"Katay--" her mother stopped as Kat turned the lock, and wrenched the door open.  
  
"Yeesh. Would it kill you to take me for my word. I'm only packing my clothes."  
  
"And smoking. It smells funny," her mother's lips were in a thin line. She was holding on to her temper with a short leash that strained to break free.  
  
"It's not real tobacco," she lied, "it's cloves, totally harmless."  
  
Her mother only looked at her sideways, as though she knew Kataya had lied, only she wasn't sure what the lie was.  
  
"Will you turn the... music... down?" Kat smirked, yeah, it's music, mom. Then her mother's eyes widened, "did that man just say... that?" Her mother had the ears of a hawk.  
  
Kat smirked, turning off the music. "Are you going to apologize and say that you're not taking me to Horizon after all?"  
  
Her mother glared, "no. Nice try, but you're still going."  
  
"Damn."  
  
Her mother stared at her reproachfully for the language, then looked around. "You know, some of these posters are... Well." Her disdain was apparent, "why don't you have your trophies in here?"  
  
"Mom," Kat groaned, for this was a subject that was often debated over, usually ending in shouting matches. Kat was tall. One of the tallest girls in class, whenever she bothered to go to school. She used to be an accomplished track and field runner, and had trophies and medallions, which had cluttered her room, at their old house. Before her dad had died. Now, they had taken up residence in several boxes in the garage. In their place: cigarettes and drugs.  
  
"I just don't understand why you just stopped running. You loved running."  
  
"I still run, mother."  
  
"Yes. From the cops."  
  
"Ouch. I'm wounded."  
  
"Get your fanny in the car, we have two hours worth of driving to do."  
  
"Joy," Kat said, sarcastically. 


	4. Gone in sixty seconds

Disclaimer: I don't own Higher Ground, blah blah blah, don't sue, blah blah blah, you'll only get a gold fish and a toothbrush, blah blah blah. As much as Kat hates it, I own her, and her mother, and her evil stepfather, and her silly friends Rico and Jose, and her very shy, yet strong friend, LeeAnn. A/N: Finally! Just when you thought that it was over, that you were safe. Guess what? YOU WERE WRONG!!! Kat finally makes it to Horizon. Will she alienate the Cliffhangers? End up murdering Shelby? Or more likely Juliette? Dum da duummmmm! Stay tuned!  
  
***  
  
The 2000 silver Honda Camry rolled up the gravel and a fuming Kat sat in the back seat. She took no notice of her surroundings, choosing only to turn up her music and flip through her car magazine. She wanted a GTO, maybe some nitro cannisters and do some serious racing. Rico could drive anything with wheels, and Jose was a whiz mechanic. LeeAnn could be the poster girl like on those calenders, leaning against the car wearing next to nothing. She definitely had the figure for it.  
  
Kat's thoughts amused her, and made her calm down from her rage a bit. For a short while, that is. The door opened and her mother was glaring at her. She snapped her fingers and guestured her to get out of the car.  
  
"Maybe you should get a Shelby GT 500, you could be gone in sixty seconds. You wanna leave me here and be gone so fast. It'd be a good investment," Kat remarked as she grabbed her one strap back pack and slung it on, then stepped out of the car. Her mother said something, probably ordering her to turn off her music. She compromised, by turning it down, and sliding the headphones down around her neck. After all, it was her first day at this school for disturbed and screwed up teenagers, she wouldn't want to get off on a bad foot.  
  
Right, what was she thinking?  
  
"Kataya, this is Mr. Scarbrow."  
  
"Call me Peter," he said, extending his hand toward her. Kat looked at it like it was poison.  
  
"Call me Kat," she mocked, then put on her most pleading, and pouty face to her mother, "please don't leave me here with them! I'm sorry for all the things I said about Greg--"  
  
"Really?" Greg popped his head out from behind the trunk, where he was getting her two black duffel bags. Kat looked at him and made a face.  
  
She turned back toward her mother, "okay, maybe not sorry about what I said- -"  
  
"Kataya, there is no use. You're here. Deal with it."  
  
"Kat," Peter tried to cut into the family squabble, "after you check in my office, I'll introduce you to Spohie Becker, who will be your group consellor, and Shelby, who will be your group buddy. She'll show you around, tell you about how things work around here, for the first week, until you get settled in."  
  
"Joy," Kat said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.  
  
"Yup," said Peter, "you and Shelby will definitely hit it off."  
  
***  
  
Still stinging from Peter's confiscation of her mind-altering substances, which he found in boatloads in the bag that Kataya had packed, she followed him to the girl's dormitory. Peter had also noted aloud the drastic difference in clothing in one bag, to the other. She had dryly told him that the other bag were clothes for her preppy alter-ego. Peter had looked at her strangely, before she relented and told him very in a very nasty way that her mother had packed that bag. "Go a-fuckin'-head," she had said, finishing her rant, "donate those clothes to the needy and fashion retarded."  
  
In exchange for her profanity, she learned all about solos, shuns, buddy hikes and quests, and punishments. She had the choice between writing a five hundred word essay on profanity, and how she could survive without the use of bad language, or chopping wood. She choose the latter, not that she even cared, but chopping wood was easier to fake than writing a paper.  
  
She plopped on the bed that Peter had said was free. He told Kat that the Cliffhangers would be arriving shortly from their classes, and that she would meet Shelby then. Peter left, and she plugged in her adaptor cord for her cd player to save her batteries, and spent the remaining half hour listening to Nirvana.  
  
A frightenly perky girl dressed in a purple dress bounced in, followed by two other girls. Kat became aware of the trio when the perky girl bounced on her bed. Opening her eyes, she looked at the very thin, pretty girl.  
  
"Who the fuck are you?" Kat asked, sitting up, and adjusting her headphones.  
  
"Juliette, but you can call me Jules!" she grinned, bouncing up to sit on her bed, which was right next to Kat's. Which was not a very pleasing development for Kat.  
  
"All right, newbie," a tall, blond haired girl said, "Peter told me that I have to lead you around, so come on, Sparky."  
  
"You're Shelby," Kat said.  
  
"Points for the newbie," Shelby said sarcastically.  
  
"That's Daisy," Juliette pointed out.  
  
"I'm utterly pleased," Kat said, dryly.  
  
"So what are you in for?" Daisy asked.  
  
"I killed my step-dad," Kat deadpanned.  
  
Sophie knocked on the door, alerting them to her presence.  
  
"Hey girls, I see you've met Kat. My name is Sophie."  
  
Jules bounced up, "is it true that Kat's in here for killing her step-dad?"  
  
"What?" Sophie was taken aback, "no."  
  
Kat sat back against the wall, with her left leg hanging over the edge of the bed, and disinterestedly leafed through her car magazine. The perfect picture of casual, delinquent attitude.  
  
"Is she in here for being a pathological liar, because that would actually make sense," said Shelby.  
  
"Poo on you, Shelby," Kat retorted, "don't insult Julie."  
  
"Juliette! Or Jules," Juliette corrected.  
  
"Whatever, Julia," Kat said in a bored tone.  
  
"Well, guys, I just came by to tell you that Group's in twenty," Sophie said, "don't be late, and try to be nice to Kat."  
  
"Yes, be nice to the newbie," Kat intoned, "do the words: 'second degree manslaughter' mean anything to you?"  
  
"Do the words: 'rabid dog that must be shot' mean anything to you?" Shelby retaliated.  
  
"Why, yes! It describes you perfectly," Kat shot back.  
  
"Okay, okay, guys, cut it out!" Sophie cut in, "or you'll both be on shuns."  
  
"More rules," Kat rolled her eyes.  
  
"The rules are there for a reason," Sophie said, "this place is a sanctuary. We have to ensure that all of you feel safe here, and aren't harrassed during your stay here."  
  
"You can take your rules and shove it up your fucking ass," scoffed Kat.  
  
Shelby, Daisy and Juliette stopped, and stared at the tableau. Sophie looked really angry, and Kat broke the spell by turning the page in her magazine.  
  
"You're going to Peter's office, right now," Sophie snapped.  
  
Kat rolled her eyes and tossed her magazine aside.  
  
***  
  
"I heard you were swearing at Sophie."  
  
"So what if I was?" She said nonchalently, slumped in her chair. "It's not like I'm planning on doing anything about it."  
  
"There will be punishment for breaking the rules." Peter sighed.  
  
"Does this look like the face of someone who cares?"  
  
"I think you care plenty."  
  
Kat rolled her eyes, "oh sure, I'll defer to your judgement in this matter, you obviously know what I'm feeling a lot better than I do."  
  
"I'm adding five hours to your wood chopping duties."  
  
Kat rolled her eyes, but said nothing.  
  
"Is there anything you want to talk about? Anything at all?" Peter leaned forward, putting his elbows on his desk.  
  
"Yeah. When can I blow this popsicle stand?" Kat asked.  
  
"That's a toughie. Lets start by going to group."  
  
"Yay me."  
  
***  
  
"All right everyone, I want you to think of a song that you think describes your life, and why," Peter announced.  
  
Everyone groaned, Shelby especially.  
  
"A song? A song? Life's not a bloody song!"  
  
"I didn't say that life was a song," Peter protested, "I just wanted you to tell me a song that parallels your life."  
  
Kat snorted, "I think I know your song. It's Wild Horses, because not even wild horses can stop you from making us do annoying things like chopping wood and making with the life songs thing."  
  
"I changed my mind," Shelby whispered to Daisy, "I like her."  
  
Peter was not terribly amused. "Thank you, Kat. That's a total of twenty hours of chopping wood. And on your first day here, that's a new record."  
  
Kat merely gave him a death glare.  
  
Peter guestured to her, "Kat, why don't you start?"  
  
"Hrrumph. My song is... The Fragile, by Nine Inch Nails. Because... my friend is the only thing that beautiful in my life. I won't let her fall apart," Kat smiled, saccharine-sweet veiled sarcasm, "now I'm here. Bloody perfect."  
  
Peter filed away that little tidbit of information, "thank you. Pick someone else to say theirs."  
  
"Um. Auggie."  
  
"I choose Moby's South Side, because of the gang, and street violence I was in. David."  
  
"Mine's Hash Pipe, by Weezer, because I'm just a slut with a druggie addiction," David cracked. Everyone laughed.  
  
"David," Peter said sternly.  
  
"Um... Sorry? Hey, Jules, you go."  
  
"David, you still haven't told us your song," Juliette protested.  
  
"Fine. Uh, Everclear's Wonderful, because everything is wonderful now. You happy now?"  
  
"You know what insanity is? Doing the same thing over and over, and expecting different results," Shelby said, rolling her eyes.  
  
"Hey, we get different results," Peter protested.  
  
Everyone laughed, and Juliette grinned, "my song is kinda something that I wouldn't really listen to, but I heard it once, and it kinda stuck. It's by Bif Naked," Shelby grinned at Juliette as she paused in her explanation, "it's called, I Love Myself Today."  
  
Everyone clapped their hands and cheered for Juliette, except for Kat, since she didn't really understand the situation. Was it because before, Juliette hated herself? It was a concept that Kat really couldn't comprehend.  
  
Everyone else got their chance to explain their songs, and then Peter let them go to have some free time, excluding Kat, she had to "chop" wood, and Scott and Auggie, because they were on kitchens.  
  
"You have an hour or so to chop wood, before dinner," Peter said, as he lead Kat to the wood shed, "Shelby's going to show you the works, and keep you company."  
  
"Whatever."  
  
When Peter had walked away, Shelby dove in for the jugular. She was good at pushing buttons.  
  
"So, who's your friend?"  
  
"What do you care?"  
  
"I don't. Just making conversation," Shelby shrugged as she set up a block of wood and chopped a neat split.  
  
"You're good."  
  
"I've been doing this for three years," Shelby shrugged.  
  
"You've been here for three years?!" Kat exclaimed, aghast. "I'm never getting out of here. My mother would be so glad to know that she can push me out of her sight for two years."  
  
"You're sixteen?"  
  
"I'll be seventeen in two months," Kat said, defensively.  
  
Shelby raised her hands, "whoa, there, rabid dog. Don't blow a gasket."  
  
Kat didn't say anything, just put a block of wood and unsuccessfully whacked at it.  
  
"Here, hold it like this. Swing it from down up, so you don't have to do much work, you just let gravity do the rest, and--" the wood split, "violà!"  
  
"Do it again," Kat said, if she played her cards right, Shelby would do all the work.  
  
"Nope, you try it."  
  
You can't con someone who uses the same tricks.  
  
Kat tried it, and almost took her foot off.  
  
"Whoa! You're dangerous with that thing. Maybe you should take the essay punishment instead," Shelby suggested.  
  
"This is stupid," Kat threw the ax down on the ground, "I'm not a woodsey outdoors person. I'm a city rat, through and through."  
  
"Well then, you probably shouldn't have done whatever stupid things you did to get here," Shelby retorted back.  
  
"What did you do?"  
  
"None of your beeswax."  
  
"Why do you think I'm not talking?" Kat proved her case in point, "quid pro quo."  
  
Shelby sighed. Then she pointed to a spot next to a nearby tree. They sat down, and Kat stared at the sky, while Shelby gathered her thoughts.  
  
"Okay. Quid pro quo," Shelby sighed, "I'll say something, then you say something."  
  
"Deal."  
  
"My stepfather. I hate him," Shelby said.  
  
"I hate my stepfather, too."  
  
"I ran away from home."  
  
"I did drugs."  
  
"What kind?" Shelby asked.  
  
"Marijuana, valium, meth. Just stuff of the magic variety," Kat said, "what about you? Did you take drugs?"  
  
"Sometimes. But not really."  
  
"I have a friend. Her name's LeeAnn. I think her father abuses her," Kat whispered.  
  
"Is that why you identify her with Nine Inch Nails?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"My friend Patti O.Ded in our motel room. Before she died, she told me that she wanted to be a Jane Doe. So I took all of her money, her identifications, everything, with the police sirens a block away."  
  
After that, Kat didn't volunteer any more information. Shelby didn't press, lost in thought about her friend from the streets.  
  
***  
  
The Fragile by: Nine Inch Nails  
  
She shines, In a world of ugliness... She matters, When everything is meaningless...  
  
She doesn't see her beauty... She tries to get away... Sometimes, It's just that nothing seems worth saving...  
  
I won't let you fall apart  
  
She reads the minds of all the people as they pass her by, Hoping someone can see... If I could fix myself I'd-- But it's too late for me...  
  
I won't let you fall apart  
  
We'll find the perfect place, to go where we can run and hide... I'll build a wall and we can keep them on the other side ...but they keep waiting ...and picking...  
  
It's something I have to do... I was there, too, Before everything else, I was like you...  
  
***  
  
Yay!!! I told myself that I would update this Saturday, and lo! I hope you enjoyed this, the next one is coming soon! 


	5. The Amazing Ebony

Okay when I said soon, I meant three months. I must apologize for the strange analogies referring to science, I studied biology for the past few months. Also this has not been beta read, I apologize for any errors. ^_^ Enjoy!  
  
Two weeks had gone by, and Kat slowly settled into her new environment. She still bucked under the controls and rules occassionally, but she was learning. It's best to just don't make waves, and she found that she could slip under the radar for more situations than she would have had she continued with her temper tantrums.  
  
Kat smirked, bemused at the thought. She had been behaving like such a child, and while she was aware of that, her temper just couldn't be controlled. Her temper was like a sparkler, with brilliant white lights exploding everywhere, until it burned down the wire and sputtered out. Like a catalyst amid the reactants, she remained unchanged but she was trying hard to change her ways. Maybe the sooner she seemed just all right, the sooner she could get out.  
  
Maybe that was the way to think. She just needed to find the right chemical mix to get a reaction, she needed to find a tasty tid-bit of information from the drudges of her life and pull it out for Peter and the other counsellors to see and maybe they'd let her go home.  
  
The only problem was, she wasn't sure just what would satisfy them.  
  
The others had been here for a while. Long enough that Kat could not abide that, she would not stay here for two years. Two weeks was long enough to start driving her batty. She missed her friends, and a cold lump had rested in her belly since the first day she had arrived, resulting from worry for her friend LeeAnn.  
  
However, she did have to admit that she was starting to adapt to living in the great outdoors, so to speak. The altitude bothered her less and less, and thanks to Sophie (and Kat's locquacious profanity), she had taken up running again.  
  
Still, Kat was homesick. Not for her mother and her latest husband, but for her friends. She was missing Rico, José and LeeAnn something fierce. She wrote letters to them nearly every day, but had not the chance to mail them yet. She knew better than to send mail to LeeAnn's place. Kat didn't like, nor did she trust LeeAnn's parents. When a large, and mysterious package arrived in the mail, postmarked from Kat's hometown, along with a letter, she was somewhat relieved and mollified.  
  
"It's from my friends," Kat told Sophie, a huge manic grin plastered on her face. "My friends are so incredibly cool," she said as she ripped open the letter.  
  
"For our Neko," she read, grinning, "Rico snuck into your house and got something for you. They tell me it was tough work, that the security was… No way! You guys! Oh! This is great!" Kat dropped the letter and tore open the package, marked with stamps of shipping and handle with care, and fragile in big bold letters.  
  
"What is it?" Sophie asked, smiling. Kat's rambunctiousness was infectious.  
  
"If it's what I think it is… oh yes!" Kat shouted, "yes! They got my Ebony!"  
  
"Ebony?" Sophie asked.  
  
Kat blushed, "it's the name of my electric guitar," she opened the box and reverently pulled out the guitar case. She carefully set it down, and unzipped it. She pulled out a sleek black strat, and beamed at Sophie.   
  
"My dad told me that guitars had to be named. His guitar was Ella, she was this vibrant red," then she frowned, because she couldn't remember much else. Perhaps it was by dint of association, but the only memories of her father that she had were of his hands, rough and calloused. He kept his nails neat, trimmed very short. She remembered the music that he played, quick riffs and slow melodies.  
  
"I didn't know that you played," Sophie smiled.  
  
"Not very well," Kat said, her face closing off. She stood, her guitar safely back in its case. She folded the letter and put it in her pocket.  
  
"You'll have to store your guitar in the music locker," Sophie saw Kat about to protest, "sorry, those are the rules."  
  
"More rules," Kat grumbled, then thinking the better of it, although reluctantly, she consented.  
  
Sophie locked up her guitar, nice and safe, and then guestured to the kitchen, "I'm assigning you to kitchens with Juliette."  
  
Kat stared at Sophie, "do you want Juliette murdered?"  
  
Sophie frowned at her.  
  
Kat made a rude noise, "she's the most annoying person on this planet, second only to Greg!"  
  
"You may believe that, but in life you're going to have to deal with people that you don't particulary like. It's best to start early in creating coping skills in dealing with the people that rub you the wrong way."  
  
"You speakin' from experience?" Kat smirked.  
  
Sophie ignored her, "Juliette is not the only one on kitchens, Scott and Ezra are there as well."  
  
"Great," Kat muttered, "that makes it so much better."  
  
Sophie checked on the kids on kitchen duty, then left them to it.  
  
"Okay," Kat said, "what's cookin'?"  
  
"We have to cook healthy stuff," Scott intoned.  
  
"Yes, only the healthy stuff," Ezra agreed, "the healthier the food are, the better for us."  
  
"You sound like brainwashed zombies," Kat wrinkled her nose.   
  
"We got a lecture from Peter the first night we made dinner," Scott started.  
  
"Years ago, for me," interjected Ezra.  
  
"It was memorable," Scott said, "to say the least."  
  
"Boy, do I know about that," Kat agreed, thinking of her twenty hours of chopping wood which had been completed the week before.  
  
"To answer your question," Juliette piped up, "we're making steamed vegetables; broccoli, cauliflower, string beans, and carrots."  
  
"I'm making salad," Scott said, "you can help me out by chopping those tomatoes."  
  
"More chopping," Kat groaned, "I've enough chopping to last me a lifetime." But she put on an apron and washed her hands before slicing the tomatoes. The smells of the dinner made her feel hungry, and she was impatient for the meal to be done and start digging in. "So much food, how many kids are there?" Kat asked.  
  
Scott seemed to think, "well, there's the Cliffhangers, the Ridgerunners, the Trackers..." he muttered under his breath, "I think maybe forty to fifty."  
  
"Geeze," Kat whistled.  
  
"Well, we've never actually counted, but that seems the approximate number," Ezra grinned.  
  
"It's just that this place, while it is huge, seems so small at the same time. How do all the teachers manage?"  
  
"Sometimes they don't," Ezra muttered, "we used to have a counsellor; her name was Hannah. She retired or something."  
  
"Or something," Juliette piped up, "she couldn't handle the stress, so she quit. Peter got Sophie Becker in and they're so in love."  
  
"Gag, romance," Kat muttered, "I think I could do without boys for a while. Ick."  
  
"Ha, in the handbook it says you can't have relationships here, other than friendship," Scott snorted, "guess who follows the rules."  
  
"Nobody," Ezra said, "Scott is covertly dating Shelby, Juliette and Auggie have been hanging out more than--"  
  
Juliette smiled dreamily, "I really like Auggie, that's a good thing, right? Liking someone for who they are, and loving them is easy." Then she abruptly woke up from her day dream, "well, I mean, I love my mother, sure, but I don't really like her all that much."  
  
Kat grimaced, "I know the feeling. I'm much of the estranged from my mom. Ever since she married that weirdo... things just haven't really been the same." A thought struck her, maybe she could take advantage of this emnity between her and her mother. Maybe she could blurt out in group that she hated her mother for dishonoring her father's name by marrying so soon after his death. Then she could act like she was growing to accept her mother's love her Greg. The thought of Greg made her want to puke. Lord knows there was never a man so disgustingly weak and geeky as Greg. "In fact, my mother..." then she trailed off, and acted embarrassed for whatever she had been about to say. She looked down and chopped the tomatoes.  
  
Silence was the best weapon, she figured.  
  
"What?" Juliette pried, "what about your mother?" Then she blushed, "if you don't mind me prying."  
  
Kat looked up, and opened her mouth, then she closed it. "Nevermind. It's not important. I'm out of tomatoes." The latter she spoke to Scott, entirely random, and entirely evasive. Very calculated, but no hint of the game of risk was evident around Kat's demeanor. She should've been an actress.  
  
Kat could sense that the others thought she was prevaricating, could see that in the glances that they exchanged, but she pretended to be oblivious.  
  
"Not all of the salads get tomatoes," Scott said, "some people are allergic. Same with peppers." Then he explained the system of the food distribution.  
  
"None of us have eaten peanut butter since we got here. It's not allowed, people could die," Ezra said.  
  
"Wow," Kat said, "I don't have any allergies whatsoever. It's kinda sad that people can't enjoy good food because they're allergic to something."  
  
"Yeah, it's a raw deal, but most of them don't even know what they're missing, so it's easier on them."  
  
"That makes sense," Kat nodded in agreement.   
  
"Well, dinner is ready," Juliette grinned, "so we'll serve them."  
  
Kat already knew that they would have to slop down food onto people's plates as they passed. She knew more of Juliette's history now, understood how she struggled to eat properly.   
  
After dinner was group, and she was reluctant to go. Peter made her attend, though, and attend she had to. Once there, however, she realized that she had been given a length of rope that would allow her to climb out of this place and go home. She realized that she could use this group time to her advantage.  
  
"All right, everyone, we shall start the sentence: I feel, and then you will finish the sentence," Peter said, holding up a staff.  
  
Everyone groaned, as they had done this before.  
  
He tossed the staff to Scott.  
  
"I feel happy," he said, then tossed the staff to Shelby.  
  
"I feel like smiling."  
  
Daisy caught the staff and smirked, "I feel ridiculous." Then she tossed it to Kat.  
  
Kat froze when she caught the staff, her heart hammering in her chest.  
  
Everyone was staring at her, expectant.  
  
"I feel..." she started, then stopped. Then she thought of her mother marrying that Greg guy and she started to feel very angry. She snarled, "I feel angry." Then she tossed the staff to David.  
  
"I feel like a macho, macho man!" he grinned.  
  
"David," Peter frowned.  
  
"Okay, fine. I feel comedic."  
  
"I feel nervous," Ezra shrugged.  
  
"I feel like dancing," Juliette smiled.  
  
Auggie finished, "I feel accomplished."  
  
"Very good, Cliffhangers," Sophie smiled.  
  
"Okay, now, I want you to tell me why you feel the way you do."  
  
Everyone groaned again.  
  
"Auggie, you start."  
  
"I feel accomplished because I got a B+ on my english paper."  
  
Everyone cheered, truly happy for him. Even Kat applauded. Auggie smiled, and passed the staff to Juliette.  
  
Juliette smiled, "I feel like dancing because everyone around me are achieving so much," with this she smiled at Auggie, "and I feel happier, like I'm lighter than air, because I went through a week eating very well."  
  
Peter smiled; proud.  
  
"I feel nervous, because I'm looking for my biological parents, and I don't know what I'll find."  
  
"I feel comedic today," David shrugged, "like I'm a funny guy."  
  
"You're a fungi, all right," Daisy said, sarcastically.  
  
"I feel angry, because... my mother married this guy not two weeks after my father died. It was shameful and dishonored my father's memory," Kat said stiffly, then tossed the staff to Daisy.  
  
"I feel ridiculous, because I have to partake in this touchy-feely event designed to exploit our emotions and get at the inner shell of our psyche."  
  
Kat snickered, "yeah, what next? Freudian psychiatry? Oooh, lookit, ink blots."  
  
"Guys, enough," Peter shook his head, "this has a purpose, it allows us to vent our feelings, or share them with others. And we don't have to worry about being ridiculed," this he said with a glance at Daisy.  
  
Shelby broke in, before Daisy could respond, "I feel like smiling, because my sister has been getting good marks in school, my mother straightened out her life, Walter is in jail, and Scott is a very good friend of mine," Shelby said with a secretive smile to Scott.  
  
"Oh, just say it, you two are dating, and it's so romantic!" Juliette grinned, "besides Peter and Sophie already know."  
  
"Be that as it may," Peter said, "Scott?"  
  
"I'm happy, because I am very good friends with Shelby," he winked to Shelby, "and I'm just generally happier with some areas of my life. School, sports, fresh air."  
  
"Yeah, this place is so great," Kat muttered under her breath.  
  
***  
  
Kat sighed as she sat in the chair. Apparently Peter wanted to talk to her about what she said during group.  
  
"Yeah, so what?" Kat said crossing her arms over her chest, "it's not like I even care about her. I just hate that she married so soon after my father's death."  
  
"You're angry about it," Peter leaned his elbows on his desk, "and your anger leads you into trouble."  
  
"Hmm, should I name my anger? Maybe I'll name it Alex, and he and I can terrorize the streets of London," Kat sneered sarcastically.  
  
"That'll be difficult," Peter said, flippant, "seeing as how you're here on Mount Horizon." Then he sighed, rebuking himself for losing control. "Kat, I know that you're angry with your mother for marrying--"  
  
"Do not say his name in my presence," Kat warned, "I'm liable to break something."  
  
"--so soon after your father's death," Peter might've said Greg, might've provoked her anger, but felt that it wouldn't be constructive, besides, she did warn him rather politely. "I don't know your mother very well, so I can't tell you her reasons, if any, for marrying. I can give you the tools to deal with your anger constructively, and you can confront your mother about your feelings on the matter, without getting angry."  
  
"Joy," Kat said, "tools. Construction. Just like a guy to use that kind of analogy."  
  
Peter sighed silently, and pinched the bridge of his nose to ward off a headache. Kat was infuriating, but he'd dealt with difficult children before. He'd reach her somehow.  
  
"Can I go now?" Kat asked, hoping that he'd say yes, say that he was going to send her home. Wouldn't that be a kick?  
  
Peter regarded her silently, wishing he could only break through that wall of anger. He just needed to find a crack in the armor, to get a handhold and peel away the layers of her shield and see the true Kat within; a little girl in pain, who felt so much grief, unresolved sorrow. Her file said that she had been twelve when her father died.  
  
"Before you go, I'd like to ask you about your friend."  
  
"Which friend?" Kat asked, "I have many."  
  
"Do you?" Peter asked, then continued before Kat could respond in her sudden flash of anger, "about LeeAnn."  
  
Kat felt a flash of fear, but didn't let it show on her face, "what about her? Did something happen to her?"  
  
Peter frowned at the question, such an odd question to ask. Almost as if she fears for LeeAnn's well being, as if LeeAnn's life were in danger. "I just wanted to know how you felt about her, why you think that you need to save her?"  
  
Kat was startled, then her mask of indifference settled more firmly, "so you found the song?"  
  
Peter nodded in the affirmative.  
  
"Ah, well. She is like a sister. We grew up together," Kat slouched in her chair, smiling softly. It was the first real smile Peter saw on her face. "She's older than me, but I feel like I'm the older sister, the one who'd take care of her. She... she's fragile, I guess. Well, not really, she just gives off that impression." Kat sighed briefly, "her mother died some years ago..." then she frowned, as though she remembered something but could not grasp it, "...strange, almost the same..."  
  
"The same what?" Peter prodded her, gently, trying to be unassuming, to not break the moment. But Kat shook herself awake from her memories, smiling apologetic.  
  
"I don't know what came over me," Kat slouched back in her chair again, "have I answered your question? Can I go now?"  
  
Peter felt a sense of loss, a sense of having nearly a hold on a crack only for it to slip from his grasp. He had grabbed water too tightly and it had leaked through his fingers, an ephemeral thing, not dense enough to hold, but flowed close enough together. Water always preferred water.  
  
"Yeah. Yes, you can go now. Light's out in twenty."  
  
Kat stood and bowed, "my leige," she said mockingly, and then went her merry way.  
  
Peter sat back in his chair, a hand kneeding his knee, the weather chilly enough to cause it pain.  
  
"Ah," he said to the air, "but I have a small piece of the puzzle." Then feeling silly for talking to himself, he turned off the desk lamp and went to the lodge, in search of Sophie.  
  
***  
  
Saturday rolled around, signifying the third week that she had been at Mount Horizon. Kat was feeling time ticking away, mocking her with it's constant flow. She wished she could turn back time and relive her life differently. If only she could.  
  
The sun rose, and so did the students, though technically they did not have class. They wandered in seeking nourishment and Peter announced to the Cliffhangers that they had a Quest. The Pathfinders had come back from their Quest the night before.  
  
"Say what?" Kat asked around her bacon.  
  
"A Quest," Juliette moaned, "is horrible."  
  
"Everyone packs clothes, tents, then basically go climb a mountain," Ezra said, rolling his eyes.  
  
"It's supposed to be more than that, Freakin'," Shelby said, "you commune with nature."  
  
"Once, Peter had us communing with our childhood."  
  
"Oh, goodie!" Kat said sarcastically, "I'd just as soon crawl into a snakepit than commune with my inner child."  
  
"Tough." Peter's voice came out of nowhere, startling the Cliffhangers.  
  
"Good God! Man, I wish you wouldn't do that."  
  
"How come you don't want to commune with your inner child?" Peter asked?  
  
"It must be because I'm abusive to my inner child. I think she'd kick the crap outta me," Kat joked before sipping her orange juice.  
  
"Yeah well, what I wanna know is when are we leaving and what estupido thing you're going to make us do this time," Auggie asked.  
  
"We leave at ten o'clock, and I'll tell you when you're ready." Peter paused as he turned, "oh, and Kat? You get to run a lap with Sophie for swearing."  
  
"Yeah, yeah," Kat waved, "I got it."  
  
Sweating, Kat grabbed her towel and water bottle, and headed to the girl's dormitory. Shelby was lying prone on her bed, Juliette was looking for one of her sweaters; she asked Kat if she'd seen it, Kat said no, staring strangely at Juliette (she'd been outside for the past twenty minutes, when'd she have time to see it?!), and Daisy was in the bathroom.  
  
"Do I have time for a shower?" Kat asked, "I reek."  
  
"You have twenty minutes to shower, pack and be ready for the Quest," Shelby said, staring at the ceiling.  
  
"Oh good, a challenge," Kat remarked pulling out her back pack. She tossed in her Korn sweatshirt, her sex pistols t-shirt, two black jeans, socks, undies and her cd player, "done my packing. Doubt I'll ever be ready for a Quest. What's Daisy doing in the bathroom?"  
  
"Hell if I know," Shelby said flatly, "girl stuff."  
  
"I give up," Juliette cried, "I can't find my favourite sweater."  
  
"Looking for this?" Daisy asked, holding out the artical of clothing in question. Juliette jumped up, "give me that."  
  
"Not 'til you let me know what David--"  
  
Kat closed the door to the bathroom, effectively cutting off the sounds of the others. Her shower was her sanctuary. Three things in her life were her sanctuary: her friends, her fenderstrat and her showers. Warm water petered out and hit her sweaty skin, cleansing her.  
  
As she showered, she supposed that she would have to add Horizon to that list of sanctuaries, though she wasn't quite sure, yet. The rules were quite strict, yet she hadn't felt like herself until she came here.  
  
Well, at least she'd had more privacy at home than here as someone banged on the door telling her to hurry up. With a sigh, she turned off the shower and dried herself off.   
  
She didn't need to wonder exactly what would happen in the near future; on the Quest.  
  
She would find out, soon enough.  
  
The rather vague reference of Alex, refers to a character in a book called a Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess. It also has been adapted to film by Stanley Kubrick. I'm a fan of both.  
  
Stay tuned, stormy seas ahead! 


End file.
